What is Casting Couch? It’s a roundup of all the day’s casting developments that are fit to print. Read on to find out about a cool cameo Gareth Edwards set up for Godzilla.
Though she’s still in the early stages of her directing career, Lynn Shelton (Humpday, Your Sister’s Sister) has already proven that all she really needs is a couple of good actors and a room to shoot in, and she’ll be able to make a good movie. It stands to reason, then, that her next project could be the biggest thing she’s ever done, because Deadline is reporting that it’s close to landing a trio of high profile and extremely talented actors. Anne Hathaway, Chloe Moretz, and Sam Rockwell are all close to signing on for Laggies, which sees Hathaway playing an immature twenty-something who hides from her life for a week with her new teenage best friend (Moretz) after she’s spooked by a marriage proposal. Rockwell is reportedly up for the role of some old dude named Craig.
Up until this point in his career, Wally Pfister has made his name as a top notch cinematographer. But now that he’s making his directorial debut with the sci-fi story, Transcendence, he’s going to have a whole host of things to worry about other than just shooting pretty things from interesting perspectives. His load should be considerably lightened thanks to the cast that he’s assembling though, because so far they’re all talented actors who are naturally photogenic—and you can add one more to the list that already includes Johnny Depp, Rebecca Hall, and Paul Bettany. Alcon Entertainment has just announced [via ComingSoon] that Kate Mara has just joined the cast, and not only has she looked promising in stuff like 127 Hours and House of Cards, but, oh my, is she a striking lady. Pfister’s job just keeps looking easier and easier.
What’s the first thing you need to get when you’re about to film a Western? Maybe like, a horse. But the second thing is grizzled-looking actors who look like they’ve spent the last few decades of their lives blazing a trail out in the unforgiving wilderness, and a report from Variety says that Jack and Joseph Nasser have found just that for their upcoming big screen version of The Virginian. Veteran character actor Ron Perlman and gruff-looking country star Trace Adkins have reportedly joined the film in the roles of a cattle baron and his enforcer. This is going to be the same story that started out as a Owen Wister novel, became a feature in the 20s, and then a TV series in the ’60s, so if you want to learn more about what to expect from it, you’ve got a lot of options.
New bros keep getting recruited for Nicholas Stoller’s upcoming frat comedy, Townies. This is the one about Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne living next door to a rowdy frat house and finding that they’re too old to enjoy being that close to puking competitions and date rape-themed parties. We already know that Zac Efron is on board to play the frat’s leader, and that Dave Franco and Christopher Mintz-Plasse will be playing a couple of his cohorts, and now THR is reporting that The Mindy Project actor Ike Barinholtz has joined the film as well. Is he going to be playing another frat boy or something decidedly different? It’s not yet been confirmed, but just look at that smug face. He’s got frat stink all over him.
How do you ensure that your new comedy is going to be hilarious? Cast J.K. Simmons and Chris Elliott in it, that’s how. Boom, done. So expect that comedy about a washed-up British screenwriter starring Hugh Grant that Marc Lawrence is making to be hilarious, because not only does it have Hugh Grant cast as a washed-up British screenwriter, but it’s also just cast Simmons and Elliott is key roles. Castle Rock announced [via ComingSoon] that Simmons will be playing the chairman of the English department at the small university that Grant’s once successful character is forced to start teaching at, and Elliott will be playing a Shakespeare professor who he ends up living next door to. It seems like we’ll be able to expect a lot of high-minded, Woody Allen-type references out of this one.
There’s some cool casting news coming off of the Godzilla set. Shock Till You Drop has posted a set photo that reveals Akira Takarada, who starred in the original Godzilla all the way back in 1954, is currently on director Gareth Edwards’ set and is going to be filming some sort of cameo for the new film. There isn’t any word on what sort of role Takarada is going to be playing or how big his part will be, but you’ve got to see that as a neat little piece of film trivia either way. And having a familiar face around has to put Godzilla at ease as he begins work squishing people and roasting things with his fire breath for a new generation of monster enthusiasts. You’ve got to keep these big stars happy.